It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmasfantasy comedy-drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published privately in 1945. The film is now considered one of the most popular films in American cinema and due to numerous television showings in the 1980s has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season. The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born. Despite initially performing poorly at the box office because of high production costs and stiff competition at the time of its release, the film has come to be regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television in many households. Theatrically, the film's break-even point was $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. Show Less

In 1996 Good Morning America and Willow Bay helped celebrate The Donna Reed Festival's 50th Anniversary Salute to It's A Wonderful Life. ABC came to Denison,(Donna's Hometown) Iowa to interview Shelley Fabares who was currently starring in the hit ABC series "Coach" and Jimmy Hawkins who played Donna Reed's son Tommy Bailey in the Frank Capra holiday classic.. Jimmy was reunited with Donna Reed when he played Shelley's (Mary Stone) boyfriend George C. Scotty ( '58-'66) on The Donna Reed Show. They reminenced about Donna and the impact her performance had on Shelley's life. Its a heartfelt and enlightening interview that deals with why the film has grown in popularity. In 2006 The American Film Institute named" IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE...The Most Inspirational Movie of All Time". It turned out to be a great festival week. The Gala evening Hosted by Shelley and Jimmy featured cast and crew members from the 1946 movie... Bob Anderson (Young George Bailey), Karolyn Grimes(ZuZu Bailey) Todd Karns (Harry Bailey) Carol... Show More

In 1996 Good Morning America and Willow Bay helped celebrate The Donna Reed Festival's 50th Anniversary Salute to It's A Wonderful Life. ABC came to Denison,(Donna's Hometown) Iowa to interview Shelley Fabares who was currently starring in the hit ABC series "Coach" and Jimmy Hawkins who played Donna Reed's son Tommy Bailey in the Frank Capra holiday classic.. Jimmy was reunited with Donna Reed when he played Shelley's (Mary Stone) boyfriend George C. Scotty ( '58-'66) on The Donna Reed Show. They reminenced about Donna and the impact her performance had on Shelley's life. Its a heartfelt and enlightening interview that deals with why the film has grown in popularity. In 2006 The American Film Institute named" IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE...The Most Inspirational Movie of All Time". It turned out to be a great festival week. The Gala evening Hosted by Shelley and Jimmy featured cast and crew members from the 1946 movie... Bob Anderson (Young George Bailey), Karolyn Grimes(ZuZu Bailey) Todd Karns (Harry Bailey) Carol Coombs(Janie Bailey) Argentina Burnetti(Mrs. Martini) Bob Lawless (Special effects man who made the snow) Sheldon Leonard(Nick The Bartender) sent a video recorded congragulations.Other Donna Reed alumni Paul and Patty Petersen joined in on stage along with Kathleen Freeman and Ann McCrea. Lots of stories. The night was also the re-opening of the newly refurbished Donna Reed Theater. No event staged for The Donna Reed Festival before or since ever attracted a bigger ... Show Less